This invention relates generally to a printing system with an accounting subsystem and more particularly to an improvement for the printing system in which a set of accounting information is updated in the accounting subsystem and the updated set is analyzed to determine if a selected event has occurred in the printing system. Provided that the selected event has occurred, a set of billing/pricing information is transmitted automatically to a location selected by a customer.
Electronic reprographic machines or electronic printing systems may possess a wide range of system functions, including binding, scanning, stapling, stitching, shrink wrapping, etc. A print shop may use an electronic reprographic machine with robust functionality to meet the needs of customers who seek copies of "short run" jobs. Even though short run jobs may not require the setting of a master, they still may utilize a large range of functions and materials (e.g. paper and toner). Maintaining records of those functions employed and materials used is a simple matter for electronic reprographic machines with digital capability and mass memory, e.g. a disk storage device.
In one example, a record of the materials used for each short run job (hereinafter referred to simply as "job") is maintained in a dedicated account for a customer. In one conventional approach, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,258 to Iwata (Issued: May 26, 1992), each customer is mapped to a given paper type set with a plurality of paper types. Additionally, each paper type in the set is provided with a fixed rate. As the job for a given customer is executed, the number of sheets used for each paper type is counted and the number of sheets used for each paper type is tabulated. The tabulated sums are then multiplied with their respective rates so that a billable amount for the paper types used can be determined. The billable amounts are then summed to provide a total cost for paper used.
The approach of Iwata appears to be inefficient, with respect to memory usage because, as shown in FIG. 10 of Iwata, the set of paper types is set uniformly for each customer. It will be appreciated that the needs of the customers changes over time and the demand of even a single customer may vary over time. This apparent problem of setting uniform account size for each customer appears to be solved by U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,344 to Bennett (Issued: Sep. 8, 1992) in which a machine administrator can create a new account and specify a subset of system functions, from a set of system functions, to be used in the new account. In particular, it is believed that the set of system functions is "hard-coded" into the associated electronic reprographic machine in the form of a predesignated set of billing meters and the system administrator can specify which of the billing meters in the hardcoded set are to be used in setting up the new account.
While this approach disclosed by Bennett is certainly more flexible than the approach provided by Iwata, the Bennett approach is not believed to provide a maximum degree of flexibility in either accommodating for new billing meters or providing for the deletion of preexisting billing meters. Moreover, the account setup disclosed by Bennett is believed to be inflexible in that an account is set up in terms of customers rather than jobs. Now allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/655,421 entitled "Accounting System for Use with Document Processing System", filed on May 30, 1996 by Krist et al., discloses an improvement, with respect to Bennett, in which meters are maintained in a flexible, configurable arrangement such that information with respect to one or more executed jobs can be recorded readily.
In the Krist approach, usage information sets are communicated to an account log manager which, in turn, stores the information sets in an account log as a virtually integrated unit. In one example, the information for one or more given jobs comprises subsets of cumulative entries, which entries may be communicated to a central billing service in terms of a report. The report which may include usage information regarding, among other things, toner usage and paper usage, can then be processed with a customer billing template or algorithm to generate an invoice for the one or more jobs. Typically, the invoice will be generated for a given period of usage after that given period has elapsed.
The process of sending usage information to a central processing facility at the end of the given period for generation of an invoice is well suited for situations in which the user seeks little interaction with the billing process during the given period and the customer billing algorithm is rather straightforward. For instance, one user who produces a relatively small number of black and white copies at a metered copier may not have much interest in obtaining a bill estimate during the given period nor in learning about discount options which may vary as a function of material/machine usage. Another user who uses a given copier/printer extensively for a wide variety of applications, however, may have very different demands with respect to obtaining usage information during the given period. For instance, a frequent user of a printing system may desire, prior to the end of the given period, to obtain an estimate of his/her current bill as well as an indication as to how further usage might trigger certain usage discounts.
Estimates based on job related information can be obtained with the technique disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,129 to Farrell (Issued Jan. 17, 1995). In particular, the printing system of Farrell is capable of gathering information from a job ticket and providing an invoice, representing an estimate of printing material cost, based on the gathered information. The Farrell system, while well suited for network applications, does not contemplate a system in which a user interacts with a printing system, via a network, to obtain an optimum billing rate. It would be desirable to provide a network oriented billing/accounting system which interacts with a user/customer to provide the same with bill estimation capability.
Interaction between a printing system and a user, across a network, to optimize system usage is believed to be known. For example, it is understood that an arrangement has been disclosed in which a printing machine controller is apprised of when the corresponding printing machine is low on a printing material, such as toner, and the controller transmits a signal, via a communications network, to a remote station for indicating that more toner is to be supplied. Essentially, the controller is providing the machine with a level of intelligence in that a function commonly facilitated by an administrator (or the like) is instead facilitated by the machine.
While the intelligent toner billing system represents an advancement in the use of a networked system to optimize printing machine functionality, it still lacks the level of interactivity felt necessary to accommodate for an optimum billing system in which a printing machine operates in cooperation with a user to provide the user with the best "deal" possible. It would desirable to provide a printing system in which billing information is provided to a user in such a manner that the user is permitted to make the best decisions with respect to machine usage.
The present invention is particularly suited for use in a network environment, such as in the context of the world wide web, the internet or the like. Examples of some recent patents relating to network environments of plural remote terminal shared users of networked printers include Xerox Corporation U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,483,653, 5,243,518, 5,226,112, 5,170,340 and 5,287,194. Some patents on this subject by others include U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,355, 5,113,494 (originally filed Feb. 27, 1987), 5,181,162, 5,220,674, 5,247,670; 4,953,080 and 4,821,107. Further by way of background, some of the following Xerox Corporation U.S. patents also include examples of networked systems with printers: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,153,577; 5,113,517; 5,072,412; 5,065,347; 5,008,853; 4,947,345; 4,939,507; 4,937,036; 4,920,481; 4,914,586; 4,899,136; 4,453,128; 4,063,220; 4,099,024; 3,958,088; 3,920,895; and 3,597,071. Also noted are IBM Corp. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,651,278 and 4,623,244, as well as Canon U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,458 and Jap. Pub. No. 59-63872 published Nov. 4, 1984. Some of these various above patents also disclose multi-functional printing systems.
Some other network system related publications include "Xerox Office Systems Technology" "Xerox 8000 Series Products: Workstations, Services, Ethernet, and Software Development" .COPYRGT.1982, 1984 by Xerox Corporation, OSD-R8203A, Ed. T. Linden and E. Harslem, with a "Table of Contents" citing its numerous prior publications sources, and an Abstract noting the April 1981 announcement of "the 8110 Star Informations System, A New Personal Computer . . . "; "Xerox System Integration Standard Printing Protocol XSIS 118404", April 1984; "Xerox Integrated Production Publishers Solutions: "Booklet No." 610P50807" "11/85"; "Printing Protocol-Xerox System Integration Standard" .COPYRGT.1990 by Xerox Corporation, XNSS 119005 May 1990; "Xerox Network Systems Architecture", "General Information Manual", XNSG 068504 April 1985, with an extensive annotated bibliography, .COPYRGT.1985 by Xerox Corporation; "Interpress: The Source Book", Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, by Harrington, S. J. and Buckley, R. R.; Adobe Systems Incorporated "PostScript" Language Reference Manual, Addison-Wesley Co., 1990; "Mastering Novell" Netware.RTM., 1990, SYBEX, Inc., Alameda, Calif., by Cheryl E. Currid and Craig A. Gillett; "Palladium Print System" .COPYRGT.MIT 1984, et sec; "Athena85" "Computing in Higher Education: The Athena Experience", E. Balkovich, et al, Communications of the ACM, 28(11) pp. 1214-1224, November, 1985; and "Apollo87 The Network Computing Architecture and System: An Environment for Developing Distributed Applications", T. H. Dineen, et al, Usenix Conference Proceedings, June 1987.
Noted regarding commercial network systems with printers and software therefor is the 1992 Xerox Corporation "Network Publisher" version of the 1990 "DocuTech.RTM." publishing system, including the "Network Server" to customer's Novell.RTM. 3.11 networks, supporting various different network protocols and "Ethernet"; and the Interpress Electronic Printing Standard, Version 3.0, Xerox System Integration Standard XNSS 048601 (Jan. 1986). Also, the much earlier Xerox Corporation "9700 Electronic printing System"; the "VP Local Laser Printing" software application package, which, together with the Xerox "4045" or other Laser Copier/Printer, the "6085" "Professional Computer System" using Xerox Corporation "ViewPoint" or "GlobalView.RTM." software and a "local printer print service! Option" kit, comprises the "Documenter" system. The even earlier Xerox Corporation "8000" "Xerox Network Services Product Descriptions" further describe other earlier Xerox Corporation electronic document printing systems. Eastman Kodak "LionHeart.RTM." systems, first announced Sep. 13, 1990, are also noted.
Current popular commercial published "systems software" with LAN workstation connections include Novell DOS 7.0, "Windows.RTM." NT 3.1, and IBM OS/2 Version 2.1.
All of the references designated in the above Background section are incorporated herein by reference.